Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

In the first round, the first choices on each ballot are tallied.No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Walshe, David Henry (Christian Solidarity)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Quinn, Eamonn (no party)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Goulding, Ciaran (no party)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Boland, Cathal (Fine Gael)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Davis, Mick (Sinn Féin)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Owen, Nora (Fine Gael)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

Sargent, Trevor (Green) has enough votes to guarantee victory and is declared a winner. To ensure that everyone's vote counts equally, votes that exceed that threshold are counted toward their next highest ranking, if possible. This is actually done by counting a fraction of the ballots most recently counted for the winning candidate.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

Ryan, Sean (Labour) has enough votes to guarantee victory and is declared a winner. To ensure that everyone's vote counts equally, votes that exceed that threshold are counted toward their next highest ranking, if possible. This is actually done by counting a fraction of the ballots most recently counted for the winning candidate.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No new candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Kennedy, Michael (Fianna Fáil)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
the number of votes that guarantees victory (20% of counted votes).

No new candidate has the number of votes needed to guarantee victory, so the last-place candidate (Daly, Clare (Socialist)) is eliminated. Ballots for that candidate are counted toward their next highest ranking.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
an elected member's equal share of the votes (25% of counted votes).

At this point, the number of remaining candidates equals the number of remaining seats,
so the remaining candidates are declared elected.

Transfers are made from each winner until they all have an equal share of the votes.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
an elected member's equal share of the votes (25% of counted votes).

At this point, the number of remaining candidates equals the number of remaining seats,
so the remaining candidates are declared elected.

Transfers are made from each winner until they all have an equal share of the votes.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
an elected member's equal share of the votes (25% of counted votes).

At this point, the number of remaining candidates equals the number of remaining seats,
so the remaining candidates are declared elected.

Transfers are made from each winner until they all have an equal share of the votes.

Note: If this doesn't make sense, try reading the
How it works page, view the
table form,
or ask a question.
The dotted line represents
an elected member's equal share of the votes (25% of counted votes).

At this point, the number of remaining candidates equals the number of remaining seats,
so the remaining candidates are declared elected.
In the end, 95.6% of all cast ballots counted toward a winner. This compares to 57.4%
if only the first-round votes were used.
You should be able to see that the winners have a more equal mandate in the final round than in
the first round.

Note that even the "highest first-round votes" method is more democratic than most
methods used in US public elections: the "vote for 4" method, which
allows the largest block of voters to dominate, and the district method, where choices are restricted
to the one or two viable candidates within geographical boundaries drawn by the politicians in office.

The
Ballot Depth section shows how much lower rankings contributed to the tally.

DemoChoice Web Poll: Dáil - Dublin North 17 May 2002Multi-member district election for upper house of Irish parliament